Credits
What each MCP action costs and how organization billing works for your assistant connections.
What costs credits
MCP uses the same AI credits as the rest of Paperguide. There is no separate allowance.
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| Search all papers | 10 |
| Look up one paper's full details | 2 |
| Search inside your PDFs | 10 |
| Read a paper's full text | 10 per part |
| Add papers and attach PDFs | Free |
| Find, list, and browse saved references | Free |
| Create, rename, and organise folders | Free |
| Attach PDFs to a systematic review | Free |
| Check your usage | Free |
Long papers are read in parts. A typical paper is 2 to 4 parts.
After a PDF is attached to a systematic review, the paper is screened automatically. That screening uses credits in the same way as screening started in Paperguide.
Failed calls are not charged. If a search returns nothing or a paper cannot be found, you keep your credits.
Organization billing
If you belong to an organization, you choose which account pays when you connect each assistant: your personal plan or the organization's shared credits.
- Per assistant. One assistant can bill the organization while another bills your personal plan.
- Fixed until you reconnect. To switch, disconnect the assistant at Settings → MCP and connect it again.
- Leaving the organization ends that connection. Reconnect the assistant to bill your personal plan.
If you are not in an organization, your personal credits are used.
Running out of credits
When the chosen account has no credits left, your assistant sees a message with the reset date. The connection stays active. It works again as soon as your credits reset or you upgrade. Anything free — such as browsing your library — keeps working.
Check usage at Settings → MCP, or ask your assistant. For how credits work across all of Paperguide, see AI Credits.